I'm upset with how powerlifting is portrayed in the media, with the proliferation of meatheads, the blatant use of drugs, and lack of Canadian content. There is an overflowing amount of powerlifting images and videos on the internet that don't represent what actually happens on the ground level in regular gyms with regular people. For some reason the most popular media images of powerlifting are those showcasing meatheads. I'm not sure if this is because meatheads are more saavy with social networking, and therefore gain more exposure to broader audiences; or if the public enjoys consuming garbage information, like a tabloid magazine; or if there is a general naivety surrounding the world of powerlifting. Regardless, there is a vast majority of athletes who don't get the credit they deserve because they are shrouded by perpetual images of the meathead powerlifter.

The truth is that the majority of powerlifters are not meatheads. Unfortunately, though, the majority of powerlifters lie beneath a minority of low-browed, big-headed, and drugged-up losers. Using an iceberg as a metaphor. The tip, which is visible to the public, represents the culture of meatheadedness, the drugged-up uncultivated loser. On the other hand, the base of the iceberg represents a diverse group of talented drug-free athletes that are just as strong, if not stronger, than the meathead, but receive little recognition. In fact, to find the most elite drug-free powerlifters on the internet takes an incredible amount of digging and searching. The sites pumping up the meathead character as the ideal form are almost always the sites that include any content resting outside the purview of the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF); the premier league for competitive drug-free powerlifting. Unless someone is a seasoned competitor in powerlifting, and has witnessed the various shades of the sport, it is hard for the general public to know what is or isn't good information, or to be able to discern who is or isn't a good ambassador.

Although I'm speaking broadly, because there are many great role models in powerlifting that are drug-free and lack meatheadedness, I am still concerned about the minimum amount of exposure these athletes get in the mainstream. As a result, I am starting a blog series called "WHO IS", where periodically I will showcase a drug-free Canadian athlete that has achieved sporting excellence and may not have been recognized with the attention they deserve. At the end of the day, the real unsung heros don't get fame, glory, or money. They don't gain prestige, status, or popularity. They simply do it because pursuing strength is not a means to an end, but sufficient in and of itself.

Please stay tuned for the first "WHO IS" spotlight on Alberta's Keith Banner. Banner is veteran in the sport of powerlifting, and at the age of 53, he is one of the greatest raw squatters in the history of Canada and can stand toe-to-toe with the best in the world. Where is he on the internet? Other than right here, virtually nowhere.